Kosovo was defeated by Turkey yesterday with a score of 0-1, failing to achieve historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Following this loss, a fan heavily criticized captain Vedat Muriqi, labeling him as the team's main problem.
"The main problem of the loss is Vedat Muriqi, the captain and half-Turk. I followed the Turkish media one day before the match was played. Vedat Muriqi gave the Turks all the information and all the tactics on how the game would unfold. Before entering the field, he goes and speaks to all the Turkish players and hugs them. I have no doubt he sold out; in fact, if he had sold the game, he would have made money. Last year, I was on vacation in Ulcinj and had Muriqi in the hotel with all 11 members of his family. Believe me, I met him every day, I swear not a single second did they speak any Albanian. Every moment they only spoke Turkish. He had no will to win. If you analyze his moments, he just didn't play. Those crocodile tears he shed at the end were a camouflage. Vedat Muriqi is the main issue; as captain, he should have been the motivator for the whole team. He did the opposite," expressed the fan.
Later came the response from Vedat Muriqi, through a comment from his official profile on social media.
"To hell with it! A half-Turk who speaks Turkish like most who are born in Prizren, but who is more patriotic and feels more Kosovar than you! To think that a national team player in a decisive match for his own country sells the game just because he was born in Prizren and speaks Turkish, must have mental problems. Or to be a person without blood, without feelings, and without respect for a player who has given everything for the Kosovo national team. To you personally, all this effort, all this pain from the first day until yesterday that I have given for the football of the state and the national team, I will never make it halal for you! May God punish you," commented Muriqi on social media.